Counter for shoes



May 19, 1953 K. A. sTRn-TER COUNTER FOR SHOES `Filed. April 212. 1950 eff Patented May 19, 1953 COUNTER FOR SHOES- Karl A. Stritter, Nahant, Mass., assignor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Flemington, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application April 22, 1950, Serial No. 157,591

11 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in shoe counters for use in various shoe constructions.

The counters each comprise a relatively stiff body portion shaped like the heel end of a last made of suitable material such as iibreboard and having at least one flexible nange which extends around the lower edge of the body portion, the flange or fianges being made of a piece of soft readily sewable material having each of its margins overlapping a different side of the lower margin of the body portion and being attached thereto, the intermediate portion of the readily sewable material extending a substantial distance beyond the lower edge of the body portion whereby a seam or the like may be readily inserted through the ange and upper materials to securely hold the counter in the shoe.

The inner margin of the readily sewable material may completely cover the inner surface of the counter or body portion and may extend a substantial distance beyond the top edge of the body portion, the sewable material being 'then folded upon itself and attached to the outer surface of the top margin of the body portion to provide a top iiange through which a seam may be sewed to hold the counter in position in the shoe upper.

The invention also contemplates forming two iianges along the bottom edge of the counter by suitably manipulating the fold of sewable material which extends beyond the lower edge of the body portion. For example, before the adjacent surfaces of the fold are caused to adhere, heightwise pressure is applied to the fold to cause two folds therein, one directed inwardly and the other outwardly of the body portion of the counter. This arrangement may be combined with that previously set forth by extending the inner flange of the sewable material to completely cover the inner surface of the counter and extend beyond its upper edge, the extension being folded back upon itself against the outer face of the body portion to form an attaching ange along the top edge of the counter. By this invention there is provided a stiff preformed counter with a strong, readily sewable attaching flange or iianges. When the flexible iiange of sewable material is directed inwardly hard heel-seats are avoided and the use of the forms of counter which are lined on the inside make a quarter lining or counter pocket unnecessary. A counter as described with a narrow sewable flange extending along its lower edge is particularly adapted for use in the manufacture of slip-lasted shoes in which the upper and platform cover may be sewed to the sewable iiange.

These and other features of the invention will appear more fully from the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawings and will be pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a side View, partly in section, of a counter having a stii body portion and a twoply ange extending along its lower margin;

Fig. 2 is a side View, partly in section, of a counter having a single piece of sewable material forming a top and bottom iiange on the stiff body portion as well as covering the inner surface thereof;

Fig. 3 is a side view, partly in section, of a counter having a stiff body portion and a pair of flanges along its lower margin, both anges being formed of a single piecel of sewable material;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 of a counter having a stiff body portion and a pair of iianges along its lower margin formed of a single piece of sewable material which also covers the inner surface of the body portion and forms a flange along the upper edge of the body portion; and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional View of the construction shown in Fig. 4.

Fig. 1 illustrates a counter comprising a body portion IU composed of any suitable stiff material such as berboard, which portion is shaped like the heel end of a last. Attached to the lower margin of the body portion It! is a ange iffwhich is composed of a single piece of material folded along its longitudinal median line to provide generally parallel portions I4, i 5, one of which is secured to the outer surface of the lower margin of the body portion I0 by adhesive or other fastenings such as stitching, and the other is simi-` larly secured to the inner lower margin of the body portion.

, The ange l2 is formed of any material easily penetrable by the needle of a sewing machine, for example a textile. The lower edge of the flange I2 extends beyond the lower edge of the stiff member I0 a distance sufcient to allow the insertion of a seam or the equivalent through the ange, whereby the counter may be readily secured in position in the shoe by a seam` passing through the said ange and the adjacent parts of the shoe. The flange is doubly attached to the body portion and the double thickness of the iiange provides a strong means for holding the seam uniting the counter to the adjacent shoe parts. The flange may be made of any desired width and may be turned incr out, depending uponthe use to which itis to be put. `Such a counter is well adapted for use in shoes of the slip-lasted platform type in which the single flange l2 (Fig. 1) or the outer flange (Fig. 3) may be sewed to the platform and platform cover. Fig. 2 illustrates a counter similar to that of Fig. 1 but in which the inner flange lll is extended to form a'cove'r 2@ for the inner face of the body portion Ill and toexte'nd substantially beyond it, the portion extending beyond the counter being folded back upon itself and secured to the outer face of the body portion i0. Thus a sewable flange 22 is formed along the top margin of the counter, the counter thus having a sewable flange about its entire periphery. Thefsewable material 2i! covering the inner face of the body portion is preferably secured `thereto by cement.

Fig. 3 illustrates a counter similar to that shown in Fig. l which comprises a body'fportion lil and a plurality of flanges 2d, 30 composed of a single 'pieceof lfolded fabric material or the like, the upturned margins of which are secured one to the inner and theother'to the outer'face of the lower margin of the bodyportion lil by adhesive or stitching. In forming the flange 'or flanges, one side of the fabric strip iscoated with pressure-responsive cement such as latex, and the margins of the body portion are similarly coated. One marginal portion ofthe strip is then pressed upon the outerlower'margins of the body portion lo, the strip folded upon itself and the opposite lower margin secured tothe inner lower margin of the body-portion, the folded'portionfbeing allowed to extend the desired distance beyond the lower edge of the body portion. By collapsing the folded portionby lateral pressure, a single two-ply flange i2 (Fig. 1') is formed. 'When the folded portion extending beyond the lower edge of the counter is collapsed by vertical pressure, two two-ply flanges it, 3o (Fig. 3) may beformed, the flanges being ofthe same or different widths, their combined widths depending on the width of the fold allowed to kextend beyond the body portion. Thus it will be seen that 'whetherthe inner face of the counter is covered by 'extending the inner flange of the strip or not the fold below the lower edge of the counter may be manipulated to form one or two two-ply flanges of the'desired width., the counter being thus adapted for'lisein a variety of shoe constructions.

The counter illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5 is like that shown inFig. 2 except that the inner margin ofthe folded strip is'extended to forrn an'inner layer 32 integral with the'two'twolayerflanges, the portion or covering the'i-nnerface ofthe body portion lo and the portion' 32 being extended and folded upon itself to forni a sewable an'ge 22 extending around the upper edge `of the counter similar to shown i'n Fig. 2.

Certain changes may be made in -thedis'closed embodiments of iny invention fwithoiit departing from the spirit tn'ereoranu counters embodying iny invention 'may be incorporated in shoes of various types otherthan thoseherein mentioned.

"Having lthus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates is: v

l. A counterfor shoes comprising a'stiif `bod-'y portion and a flexible, sewable flange about its lower margin comprising a strip of fabric -folded upon itself land having'its marginal portions s'ecured to the opposite sides of the body'prtion with thefold extendingbeyond the bodyportion.

2. Acounter for shoes comprising a-'stiff unfianged'bo'dy portion andflexiblc, sewable flanges about its lower edge comprising a strip of'fabric folded upon itself into two two-ply flanges, the margins only of the strip being secured to opposite faces of the body portion.

3. A counter for shoes comprising an unilanged body portion having two two-ply flanges of sewable material projecting beyond its lower edge and a two-"ply sewable flange projecting beyo'nd its upper edge.

4. A counter construction comprising a relatively stiff body portion shaped like the heel end of a Ylast-and a flange comprising a soft sewable fabric attached to the inner and outer surfaces of th'elower margin-of the body portion and extending along the' vsaid lower margin.

5. 'counter 'construction comprising a relatively stilf body portion shaped like the heel end of a last and aflange comprising a single piece *of "soft sewable fabric having its margins attached to the inner and outer surfaces of the lower margin -of the body portionandextend-ing beyond the said lowermargin.

6. A counter construction comprising a -relatively stiff unilanged body portion shaped like the heel lend of a last and a flangeoomprising a Vsoft vsewable material attached to the inner and outersurfaces of the unilanged lower margin of the body portionand'extending beyond the said lower margin, said material extending upwardly over'the inner surface ofthe body portion to the top edge thereof to coverthe said inside surface.

7. A counter construction comprising a relatively stiif unflanged, upstanding body portion shaped like the'heel end of a last and-a flange comprising a 'soft sewable fabric attached to the inner'and outer surfaces'of the lower margin of the upstanding portion and'extending beyond the said lower margin, said'fabric extending upwardly to cover the inner surface of the relatively stiff portion to the top'edge thereof and there folded upon itself to form on the upperedgeof the counter a sewable flange extending beyond the body portion.

8. A counter `construction'comprising a relatively stiff unilanged body portion shaped like the heel end of a shoe and a 'soft vsewable `fabric covering the inner surface of the body portion, said fabric extending a substantialdistahce beyo'nd the upper and lower fedges of the body portion and being foldedlupohitself and attached to the inner and out'erfsurfaces of the upper and lower margins ofthe -body portion.

9. A counter construction comprising'a relatively vstiff body'portion shaped like the h'eel'end of a last'and a'soft sewable 'fabric attached tothe inner and outer surfaces of the lower 'margin of the body'portio'n andfolded upon itself "to-providea pluralityof 'ahgeswith folded edges Vextending beyond the lower 'margin lof the 'body portion.

10. A counter construction "comprising -a relatively stilf body portion shaped like the heel 'end of a last anda soft sewable fabric covering the inner surface of the body portion, 'said fabric being attached to the inner land outer 'surfaces of the lower margin of the body portion "and folded upon itself to provide a plurality of anges extending beyond the lower margin of the body portion.

l1. A counter construction comprising a relatively stiff body portion shaped like the heel end of a last and a soft sewable fabric covering the inner :surface o'f the upstanding portion, said fabric being attached to the inner and outer sur faces of the upper and lower margins ofthe body portion and folded to provide a plurality of 5 flanges extending along the lower margin of the Number body portion and a ange extending along the 248,616 upper margin of the body portion. 401,830 1,102,113 KARL A. STRITTER. 5 2,245,466

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Number Name Date 323,390

115,643 simonds June 6, 1871 1 Name Date Shepard Oct. 25, 1381 Hanan Apr. 23, 1889 White June 30, 1914 Dawes June 10, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Italy Jan. 11, 1935 

